


Crest of Snow

by doridoripawaa



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, No Lesbians Die, Snow, Snowball Fight, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doridoripawaa/pseuds/doridoripawaa
Summary: Byleth and Edelgard have a tactics lesson in the snow.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 9
Kudos: 122





	Crest of Snow

Dashing. Dancing. Prancing.

How could anyone endure the strain of battle with this mass thudding and thumping inside their chest? Planning strategies and executing stealth missions was far simpler without this extra weight.

Emotional and physical weight.

On top of the fact that the rapid pumping sent tingles up and down her spine and blood pounding in her ears, she also felt concern about the others around her. Could they detect her location? How was her heart not bursting out of her chest and through the pile of snow that separated her from her enemy?

Sometimes she almost missed being an ashen demon.

Almost.

Slowly she inhaled, and she could feel the stinging cold mist of the air pierce her lungs. Nevertheless she held on tight to that shaky breath, hoping it would help calm her quivering, quaking heart. Tentatively she raised her head and peered over the top crest of the snowy mound she had hidden herself behind. On the opposite end of the field, another mound stood erected in the snow. However, its edges were sharper and more refined than the ones on her own, and she couldn't help but crack a smile at the thought of her adversary meticulously crafting an exquisite, particular, angled defense fortress. Was it for her own ambitious purposes and perfectionism? Or was she trying to impress her?

"Checkmate, my teacher."

Byleth barely had time to turn her head before she saw a snowball flying directly towards her face. She forced all of her weight to the right side of her body and fell to the ground. A sharp blast of chilly air swept over her face, jerking her senses into a heightened, alert state. With a huff she rolled herself down the hill and then jammed her foot into the snow to stop herself halfway down. The sound of footsteps plodding through the thick blankets of snow was hardly distinguishable over the sound of blood roaring in her ears, but Byleth nevertheless managed to jump to her feet and scramble to safety behind a tree.

"I thought we said no head shots!" she called out as a white-haired woman came hustling down the hill, stepping carefully to hold onto her footing.

"No head shots?" she echoed, and a smirk spread itself onto her lips. "Of course head shots are allowed! This is war!"

Clad all in red, the young woman stuck out like a bundle of holly berries in the snow. Byleth had assumed that she would take this challenge light-heartedly, but that had been a foolish mistake. Edelgard von Hresvelg, the Adrestian Emperor, always took the trials and tribulations of the battlefield seriously.

This was their first winter after the defeat of Rhea, and perhaps the memories of warfare were still too recent in Edelgard's mind to allow her to relax just yet. Byleth had thought that proposing a more playful method of tactical training would be good for her. For both of them.

But just as with any other battle, the young emperor had victory on her mind.

"That tree won't protect you from me," Edelgard murmured. "Especially while it's so bare."

"I don't need it to protect me," Byleth responded coolly as she stretched her arms upward towards its branches. "I just need it to distract you!" She pulled the branches backward and then let go, allowing them to fling forward and send their snow hurtling off in a shattered sheet. 

Edelgard leaped back in surprise as Byleth dashed off to a mound of bushes. In the springtime, they shone with bright buds and a plethora of petals. Their crimson flowers glistened with dewdrops and sunshine alike, spackling the forest green leaves of the carefully shaped and trimmed topiaries. Now they were icy blockades to protect her from the cold war that waited for her. She dove behind them as another snowball came hurtling towards her head.

Three shots and you're out. That was the rule they had decided upon. Why was Edelgard so determined to smack her in the head first?

'If she blinds me or stuns me, getting those other two hits will be a lot easier,' Byleth thought. 'The head is particularly vulnerable.'

But the former mercenary had another target in mind. 

She scooped together a lump of frost and snow from the base of the bushes. "Who will win in this winter wonderland?" a voice sounded from the other side of the bushes.

"You're strong in the head," Byleth began as she crafted more ammo. Maybe if she sounded as though she were starting a lecture, she could stall for time. Edelgard had always been a diligent student after all.

Clearly, she had been a little too diligent.

"But I know your weakness," she went on. As she spoke, she snapped a long, thin branch off of the bush before her, and she hoped that the sound of her voice would drown out the sharp crack.

"Weakness?" Edelgard echoed. Her voice sounded louder, clearer, closer. "Enlighten me, my teacher."

"Your--"

The blue-haired woman rolled out from behind the bushes and then sprung to her feet. She quickly flicked her head over her shoulder and aimed as steadily as she could before firing a snowball directly at Edelgard's chest.

"Heart!"

"I have steeled my heart!" Edelgard protested as she easily sidestepped the frozen projectile. "You know very well who I am and what I have endured! I am the Emperor!" She tilted her head back so that her chin was propped up high. With her muscular, scarred, battle-worn arm, she chucked a snowball of her own at Byleth's face. Even Edelgard seemed taken aback, though, when Byleth pulled a branch out of her belt and sliced the incoming snowball in two. "You brought a weapon?" Edelgard exclaimed incredulously. "Why didn't I think of that…?"

"All is fair in love and war, my dearest El," Byleth cooed as she ducked underneath the icy missile. Upon hearing that name, Edelgard's face flushed a deep shade of scarlet, almost matching her attire. "What's wrong? What happened to steeling your heart?" she teased, her sapphire eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. A hint of laughter that she had not quite felt until she began living at the monastery all those years ago. Until she began living with El.

Edelgard stopped down to restore her ammunition, but Byleth continued to slash and slice at each incoming snowball. With every strike she took a step forward, but Edelgard still stood her ground. They were mere meters apart when Byleth finally whispered, "Class is in session." With a hefty grunt, she flung her snowball at Edelgard, and because of the distance between them, the platinum-haired woman did not have the opportunity to dodge before the snowball pelted her square in the chest. 

Dazed, Edelgard finally took a step back. She clasped her hands over her chest, and for a moment Byleth felt a rush of concern flood her. Had she knocked the wind out of her? Did she put too much ice in the snowball? "Edelgard…? El…?" She reached out hesitantly.

A flash of white. A flash of cold.

Byleth stumbled backward as a snowball smacked directly into her face. Edelgard had scraped together the remnants from the weapon that had hit her and crafted a brand new snowball. It was small, but it was effective, and Byleth tried to wipe her face in a hurry before Edelgard could shape another ball to throw at her. Her senses were overwhelmed, filled with a fuzzy white and biting cold.

"I am the Flame Emperor!" Edelgard exclaimed. Byleth blinked snow out of her eyelashes and found herself standing face to face with her emperor. "A little bit of snow will not stop me!"

"And I am the Ashen Demon! I will stand while you still stand!" Byleth declared firmly, taking a half-step closer until their rosy red noses were touching. She could feel Edelgard's panting, rasping breaths hot against her frosty cheeks. "My heart beats for you, Edelgard von Hresvelg."

Her crimson flower was crimson once again as blush spread like wildfire across her cheeks. "Through the flames of war? Through those who slither in the dark? Until we reach the light once again?"

"This is our path, El," Byleth whispered. "We will carve it together."

Gently, tenderly, they closed the narrow gap between them. Both of their mouths were tinged blue and chapped, but warmth radiated between them once their lips locked. The kiss was fleeting like a snowflake, but just as beautiful, too.

"However…" Byleth began.

"However?"

"It's still one to one, El. Never let your guard down." She smacked a crushed pile of snow on top of Edelgard's head, and then jumped back to run behind the bushes once more. 

Dashing. Dancing. Prancing.

Edelgard did strange things to her heart.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to my Secret Santa, Shadow! I hope you enjoy this little winter fic!


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